These visual thoughts are often created as a result of a conversation, and are available for use under a Creative Commons licence, so please remember to attribute!For stories of Thought to Thinkery check out the Visual Thinkery website.

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With the genesis of the Wapisasa concept in my head, I was keen to use a different model. A people-first model. A social business. I wanted to pin the social purpose to our foreheads, so that profit never became our top priority.

I wanted to run Wapisasa as a business, but never wanted to lose sight of its social aim: to provide credential-poor young people access to fulfilling digital careers. After bouncing my ideas off a few key people, I set it up using the legal vehicle of a C.I.C. (Community Interest Company) — essentially a UK limited company, with asset locks written into it’s articles of association, and, of course, a social aim.

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It was my pleasure this week to give a talk at the Bett Show this week alongside Dr Doug Belshaw of Digital Literacies & Open Badges fame. One of Doug’s points was that in Education, we’d like to think that the starting point for learning is the learning itself. Not so. Due to the nature of the system, we start with the Credential and work backwards. Ah. This is further illustrated by this graphic, highlighting the massive difference between prescriptive and descriptive pathways.

This resonates with my wapisasa journey too. Having set out to chart our Rookies (young people) on a path to surefire digital greatness, we prescriptively created a bunch of badges. However, after 6 months we sat down with our first Rookies and reviewed what had been the most valuable learning – which became a very different set of descriptive badges…

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I had a very enjoyable conversation with Giles Anderton before Christmas, and this thought appeared. I see myself as a catalyst for change. But if I’m being honest, I realise that in the past I’ve been as resistant to change as the next guy – and not even for reasons I can clearly articulate. I once heard a Franciscan monk talk about setting your default position to any person as “yes”, as opposed to “no”. Maybe a similar attitude to change is also required (from me)? To go on a journey, your starting position really matters…

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I wrote this visual poem in 2014 when the social business I had founded (wapisasa) and its vision were struggling – I had completely forgotten about it until I found it in an old sketchbook, and thought I might turn it into something to encourage others. If it resonates with you, let me know!

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When we took on our first young people at wapisasa last year, I really didn’t appreciate how important self-confidence in the Rookie’s outlook and enjoyment of their job. On reflection, I see that I’m no different. A lack of confidence makes you blind to the options and opportunity that surrounds you.

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Having sold a couple of businesses, I’m often asked about the ingredients of running a successful start-up. Well, this may be obvious, but it’s top of my list every time. People. But not just your immediate team (which is of course critical), but those who you sell to, those who support what you’re selling, those who act as advocates for you, and those who build whatever your products and deliver your services. Find good people, and figure out how to play them to their strengths.

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Here’s another thought from Angela Maiers‘ “You Matter Manifesto”. In my experience of working with young people, I’ve been amazed at how warped a view of themselves they can often have. This view is where the seed of self-confidence is rooted – and seeing evidence of your own hands having made a difference in someone else’s life is what nourishes that seed. I’m convinced that each person has a gift that only they can give.

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I now realise that we are our experiences, and due to having associative brains, the product of our individual experiences means that we each have a unique angle on life. I suppose it then depends on whether we see this as an advantage or not…